Good morning. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for direct talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin as “the only way to stop this war”. The US and UK have announced additional sanctions on Russia. And more rain threatens the floods crisis in NSW.
Concern is mounting over the movements of a huge column of Russian military vehicles outside Kyiv, amid a lack of fresh information about its position and the threat it poses. Vladimir Putin has told Emmanuel Macron that Kyiv’s “refusal to accept Russia’s conditions” means he will continue to pursue his war, the Élysée palace has said, adding: “We expect the worst is yet to come.” As the number of refugees fleeing the conflict passed a million and Russian forces, backed by heavy shelling, advanced on cities and key ports in the south and east, Russia’s president said in a 90-minute call to his French counterpart he was “prepared to go all the way”. Meanwhile, members of the public are paying for Airbnb rentals in Ukraine to help get money to residents. The world’s leading energy adviser said Europeans should turn down their thermostats by a degree to save on gas and reduce dependency on Russian imports. Macron has also warned that Europe must become more independent. Ikea has temporarily closed all stores and factories across Russia in a move affecting 15,000 workers, becoming the latest in a swathe of western firms to halt operations in the country. These efforts come as some countries scramble to speed up imposing sanction.
Telecommunications problems are hampering flood rescues and recovery efforts in the NSW northern rivers region, with the Ballina mayor, Sharon Cadwallader, saying internet outages and patchy reception are the biggest issue for locals. Mobile internet coverage is almost nonexistent across large swathes of the region and phone reception is intermittent. Credit card payments cannot be processed, with most businesses only accepting cash. Some have been offering free food as a result, a welcome gesture in towns where supermarkets and shops have bare shelves.
The veteran Liberal MP Warren Entsch has said the Morrison government should expand its $10bn cyclone reinsurance pool in northern Australia to cover natural disasters – including catastrophic floods and bushfires – in other parts of the country. The flood has destroyed $5m of stamps, signalling the end for a small business. But though the floods are wreaking havoc on communities across NSW, scientists say describing them as “one-in-1,000-year” events (as Dominic Perrottet did) can mislead the public about the probability of such disasters recurring.
Australia
Officials prepared talking points to help the government respond to questions about Tony Abbott’s trip to Taiwan, dismissing any suggestion the former prime minister’s visit represented a policy shift. Documents obtained by Guardian Australia reveal the government was drafting its responses to potential media questions at least a week and a half before news broke of the former prime minister’s trip.
Doubts have been raised about the United Australia party’s claim to have 80,000 members after more people complained about receiving emails welcoming them to Clive Palmer’s party, despite not signing up.
The Australian soap Neighbours will shoot its final scene in June after a record 37-year run. Its producer, Fremantle, has failed to secure another UK broadcaster.
The world
The House select committee investigating the Capitol attack is hoping to show through public hearings in April how it believes Donald Trump came to violate federal laws in his efforts to overturn the 2020 US election results, the panel has indicated in court documents.
In an unprecedented display of cosmic littering, a wayward rocket body will crash into the far side of the moon on Friday, marking the first time that a piece of space junk has struck the lunar surface.
The father who fatally shot his three daughters and a man at a California church this week repeatedly threatened to kill his estranged girlfriend and scared their girls so much they cried and one bit off her fingernails, according to a restraining order that was supposed to keep him away from guns and bullets.
The family of Sarah Everard have paid tribute to her on the first anniversary of her murder by a police officer, saying she was “wonderful and we miss her all the time”.
Recommended reads
The cows are found washed up on beaches and, in Lismore, they’re cutting holes in the roof to escape the rising waters. In Sydney the rain won’t stop, while Perth experiences its hottest summer on record. Throughout the disorder comes the refrain: “When are we going to go back to having a normal summer?” Brigid Delaney explores why we cling to our memories of the perfect summer – before flood, fire and plague. But, she says, the past is gone and we have to wake up.
There’s no correct amount of solitude, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, but cultivating a relationship with yourself is the same as any other friendship. “Try not to think of solitude as just time spent with yourself,” she writes. “Try to think of it as something liberating: a chance to be what you aren’t around other people, and a chance to do whatever you’d like.”
Barrie Kosky is known globally for breathing spectacular excess into old work. As The Golden Cockerel opens at Adelaide festival, he discusses his boldest moments.
Listen
Catastrophic flooding has left at least 14 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed in Queensland and NSW. In the middle of this crisis the latest IPCC report was released, outlining how human actions are closing an ever-narrowing window to a liveable future. Gabrielle Jackson speaks to Guardian Australia’s editor, Lenore Taylor, and Queensland correspondent, Ben Smee, about how we report on severe weather events in a climate emergency.
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
After definitive series wins over India and England this summer – and a total of 29 wins from their last 30 ODIs – Australia head into the Women’s World Cup as overwhelming favourites. It’s a familiar position for this team, who have dominated world cricket for many years. But this tournament brings more pressure than usual, and Australia is desperate to regain this trophy after failing to make the final last time out in 2017.
Our cartoonist looks at the tantalising prospect of the Argentinian coach managing the Australian national side.
Media roundup
Two WA emergency department nurses have spoken about “unsafe staffing levels” and “burnout”, the ABC reports, as the state prepares for the most difficult period it has faced during the pandemic. The war in Ukraine has sent prices for fossil-fuel exports surging, the Sydney Morning Herald reports, as buyers in Europe and Asia scramble to cut their exposure to Russia.
Coming up
The final report of the Afghanistan inquiry is due.
And if you’ve read this far …
After years in the wilderness, fungi are finally getting the attention they deserve from gardeners, scientists, designers and doctors.
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